Doctor Who viewers will be relieved to learn that after her ordeal on Christmas Day, Davina McCall has safely returned to her DNA-documentary beat. The makers of Long Lost Family now bring us Born from the Same Stranger, an unwieldy title for a sweet and sensitive four-part series that is about seeking, and sometimes finding, connections with blood relatives.
The first episode follows children who were conceived using donor sperm in the 1990s, when donors were promised complete anonymity. The law changed in 2005, so that those conceived by donor since then can access the donor’s details. However, for those conceived before that point, tracking down their biological parent – the term used to describe the donor is personal and varies according to preference – is a lot more difficult. We follow Liam and Sarah, who have very different stories, as they attempt to find their sperm donors, with the help of the internet and new technology.
